CONSUMER PROTECTION CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN LITTLE ROCK

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Dustin McDaniel will host the 37th annual training and business conference of the North American Consumer Protection Investigators’ association next week in Little Rock.

North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI) is made up of representatives of local, state and federal consumer protection agencies in the United States and Canada. NACPI’s annual meeting will be Sunday through Wednesday at the Little Rock Marriott.

“Our investigators are the principal advocates for Arkansas consumers who need our assistance, and our Consumer Protection Division could not function without them,” McDaniel said. “I join my colleagues across North America in recognizing the importance of the work of our front-line investigators, and I’m glad to welcome this conference to Arkansas.”

Participants in the event will receive training on a variety of topics, including cybercrimes, motor vehicle fraud, payday lending and security for reloadable debit cards.

McDaniel has focused on enhancing his office’s consumer protection efforts since taking office in 2007. His Consumer Protection Division has 10 investigators who are assigned to specialized investigative areas, giving them expertise in handling specific complaints. Investigators develop contacts with various industry representatives so that consumer complaints may be mediated quickly and efficiently. The investigators also work with the division’s attorneys to identify and pursue companies that engage in deceptive or unfair business practices.

During McDaniel's tenure, consumer protection investigators have helped consumers recover more than $12.7 million through informal mediation.